Eye for Composition - Post 1, Comment 2, Invite 1 / Discuss

Current Discussion

Weekly Contest: "The Eye" ... Winning photographs
Latest: 4 weeks ago

Been inviting lately????
Latest: 6 weeks ago

Want to be a moderator?
Latest: 2 months ago

Photo appeal discussion
Latest: 3 months ago

Explanations of photos being accepted or rejected
Latest: 3 months ago

Why was this rejected?
Latest: 5 months ago

Post some tips for your fellow photogs
Latest: 9 months ago

3 photos a day, other general Info
Latest: 11 months ago

More...

Photo appeal discussion

hawkryger (www.augustkryger.com) says:

Photo moderation is turned on. This means we screen each and every photo that makes it into the pool. If you don't see your photo and think it should've been chosen. Post it in medium format here, and state your case for why we should reconsider it.
Posted at 11:43AM, 10 May 2007 PDT ( permalink )

akryger says:

Members - If a photo is rejected, please DO NOT just keep adding it, hoping we will ok it. If you think we made an error, follow the rules and post it in this discussion with an explanation and we will re-evaluate. If it is resubmitted without being posted in the discussion, then we will start issuing warnings, followed by banning from the group. Rules are there for a reason. Thanks.
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

swisscan says:

This is the first photo I submitted to this group and it has been rejected!
This is one of my better photos and it did very well in many other groups!!(8 A+++among them!!)
It also got 3 awards from Composition First! I really don't know what is wrong with this composition?? Please explain to me!!
Originally posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )
swisscan edited this topic 3 months ago.

hawkryger (www.augustkryger.com) says:

Okay, glad someone is finally appealing, as this is how we all can learn. First of all Swisscan, tell me why you think this is an effective photo. Other than awards from other groups (which hold no bearing on this group's photos) what is it that strikes you? Before I tell you why I rejected it, I'd like a good appeal from you that might make me look at it in another way. You said this is one of your better photos ... but, upon looking at your photostream, I think you have many beautiful photos that are far better choices for the group than this one.
At any rate, let me know why you like it. Others reading this, feel free to chime in as to why this photo either does or doesn't work.
~Hawkryger
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

swisscan says:

First I have to say it is always in the eye of the beholder which photo is good or not!
This photo in particular was one of my first photos on Flickr and I like the composition especially (that's why I put it here). The frame with the 6 skyscrapers and the shape of the sky are very nice. The angle is perfect and the colors are good. This perspective makes the photo geometrical and almost abstract like!
I actually made a poster out of it and it looks just great!
Thanks for your reply!
Swisscan
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

blogrodent says:

swisscan, I don't moderate here, am only a member, but if you don't mind, can I chime in with my thoughts?

While this photo does focus on shapes and forms, I'm not sure I'd qualify this as truly abstract -- it's too easy to identify the subject. To help on this score, I like the definition offered in a thread from the Nikon Digital Learning Center by "Getting Closer":

Quote: "Non-objective, or non-representational art is that which may be about line, form or color, but includes no readily identifiable original subject. I think this type of shooting has a purity in compositions that must satisfy without the context of knowable content. Shooting this type of image is a great way to strengthen one's compositional skills."

Or, more succinctly, from Wikipedia: "Abstract art is now generally understood to mean art that does not depict objects in the natural world, but instead uses colour and form in a non-representational way."

As to the composition, my niggle about the photo (and again, I don't moderate photos) is that there are too many ways for the eye to escape the picture. There is no definite subject in the photo. I see there is a sky and there are buildings, but what is your photo trying to say or evoke? The buildings are not imposing enough to produce claustrophobia and the sky is not expansive enough to evoke a sense of space. The message seems conflicted.

That said, yes, it's a pretty picture. But, at bottom, it seems like a snapshot taken in a big city.

I don't mean to offend, and I hope none is taken. I hope this helps from at least my perspective.

Regards,

Rich
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

hawkryger (www.augustkryger.com) says:

Well, for the most part, I believe I have to agree with blogrodent. He said it best with this: "That said, yes, it's a pretty picture. But, at bottom, it seems like a snapshot taken in a big city."

As for directly why it was not accepted, here ya go, and this is a good insight into my (not necessarily the other admin's) selection process. We get hundreds of photos submitted to this group every day. When I go through the candidates, this is how it goes.
I mark them all as deny to start, then, as I look at each photo, if I see something that strikes me in any way, I mark it approved. I am not usually stricken by cliches, snapshots, messy composition and things like that. Simply put, there was nothing in this photo that grabbed me. Looking at it again, not much has changed.
I'm glad you received many awards for this photo, but our group is about more than awards. That's not at all meant to be harsh, it's just the way it is. This group is especially designed for striking photos that are above the average or at least really cool (in our humble opinions.) Sure, not all the photos are perfect in this group (especially some of my own.) But, for the most part, we want this group to stand out above the rest.

So, keep shooting, keep submitting and have a good look through the group's pool.

Thanks.
Originally posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )
hawkryger (www.augustkryger.com) edited this topic 3 months ago.

swisscan says:

OK, I accept defeat, I am a snapshot photographer. Thanks a lot for the input!!
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

hawkryger (www.augustkryger.com) says:

Hmm, that's not at all what we were trying to say. A quote from what I wrote above:
"I think you have many beautiful photos that are far better choices for the group than this one."
Constructive criticism is nothing more than that. If you have a chance, go to the
Pictures of the Year International
judging sometime.
I just attended several in the past few weeks. If you want to see some harsh criticism, go there. Those are the best of the best, and the judges write off much of it as "crap, just cliche crap." So, please realize that the real world of photography can be very blunt, but it helps everyone learn.
Originally posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )
hawkryger (www.augustkryger.com) edited this topic 3 months ago.

Would you like to comment?

Feed – Subscribe to Eye for Composition - Post 1, Comment 2, Invite 1 discussion threads

You are viewing a mobilized version of this site...
View original page here